1 November 2008

We are an international group of bloggers and cheesecake means many things to many people. When you think of cheesecake what do you envision?

An American cheesecake generally relies on cream cheese which was invented in 1872 as an alternative to French Neufchâtel. There are many different styles... New York , Chicago, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania-Dutch style cheesecakes. The difference between them being in the height, texture and cheese used.

I even read there was a Canadian-style cheesecake...WHO NEW????...called Vancouver- style. It is a light, airy cheesecake made without a crust, primarily in vanilla and chocolate and often served refrigerated with various local fruit toppings such as British Columbia strawberries, raspberries and cherries.

In Britain, Australia and New Zealand, cheesecake is a rich creamy dessert, neither cooked nor baked, which is served chilled and made with a biscuit crust. Italian-style cheesecakes use ricotta or mascarpone cheese and are typically drier than American styles with small bits of candied fruit often added. French-style cheesecakes are very light and get their light texture and flavor from Neufchâtel cheese. Greek-style cheesecake commonly uses Mizithra cheese or Mascarpone cheese. Swedish-style cheesecake or ostkaka are not layered and traditionally made by adding rennet to milk and letting the casein coagulate...it is then baked in an oven and served warm. German-style cheesecake or Kasekuchen uses quark cheese, adds cream and is not baked either. Dutch/Belgian-style cheesecakes are typically flavored with melted bittersweet chocolate. Brazilian-style cheesecakes usually have a layer of goiabada (guava marmalade).

As you can see the possibilities are endless under the one banner of "What does cheesecake mean to me?" No matter.. I will always love cheesecake of any style, flavour and texture. I have no prejuduces when it comes to cheesecake and give all a good chance to win me over!!!!!!They are all delicious in their own right!!!
A common difficulty with baking cheesecakes is its tendency to crack when it is cooled. This is because the beaten eggs coagulate in the batter. There are various methods to prevent this. One way is to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to ensure even heating. Other methods include blending a little cornstarch into the batter to prevent the coagulation of the eggs or baking the cheesecake at a lower temperature and slowly cooling it in the oven that has been turned off and leaving the door ajar. If all else fails cover the top of the cheesecake with toppings such as fruit, whipped cream, cookie crumbs....or in this case nuts. For some reason my cheesecake did not crack this time around.

Another common problem, particularly with baked cheesecakes, is that the biscuit base becomes too soft. For extra crunch, replace around a quarter of the crushed biscuits with Grape Nuts cereal.

Also do not overbake your cheesecake or it will become dry.

In honour of the season I felt like baking a flavourful pumpkin cheesecake. It brings to mind cool nights, long walks to explore the colour of fall or sitting by a cozy fire with a good book, wrapped in a blanket...and a plate of cheesecake...mmmm!!!

This makes a large cheesecake so grab your fork and be prepared to share!! It is the pumpkin cheesecake recipe I always use. Despite the fact that it uses 5 eggs and 3 blocks of cream cheese it is surprisingly light. The walnut topping was an added touch this time around. I omitted the caramel sauce ..it was sweet enough just the way it was.

Preheat oven to 350F.Place cookie crumbs, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor and pulse 3 - 4 times until combined; add butter and pulse 4 - 5 times, or until crumbly. Wrap the outside of a 10-inch spring form pan with aluminum foil, then press cookie mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

Reduce oven heat to 325F. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed 3 minutes, or until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar and the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, beating 4 minutes, or until blended. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Remove and set aside 1 cup of batter. Add pumpkin, whipping cream, and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Beat on low speed of an electric mixer just until blended. Do not over beat. Pour batter over prepared crust. Dollop reserved batter in a circular fashion and draw a knife through to create a marbled effect.Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until almost set (it will jiggle in the centre).

Remove from oven; run a knife around edge of pan. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour with a large bowl inverted on top of cheesecake in pan to prevent cracking. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Serve with caramel sauce if you wish or whipped cream.

Oh my gosh, you used ginger snaps for your crust! Y.U.M.! Let me say that again. YUM! This sounds so good. I know that phrase gets used a lot, but it really and truly applies here. This cheesecake sounds so heavenly with the pumpkin and cinnamon! I love the marbled effect your mention. And that caramel sauce ... I'm so ready for some of this! Really great post! And, congrats on your well deserved award!

I just made a pumpkin bread using most of the ingredients you used in this recipe - the smell of pumpkin spiced with cinnamon is intoxicating!

Thanks for the comments about the teaching system - you're right, you can talk to the teacher and make her change too, but in Greece, I'm sure you'll need to do that at least three times (and get other mothers to complain about the same problem!) for the message to sink in. This time, I just let it pass; the teacher probably wouldn't have believed that my child had done her homework on her own!

Hmmm, not entirely sure about the British cheesecake - I know a lot of people in this country who will tell you that a cheesecake is baked, full stop. Anything that requires no baking and is refrigerated is a fridge tart! Both have their place though :)

And funily enough, I had pumpkin cheesecake for the first time on our recent trip to the USA! What a fantastic concept - thanks for reminding me that I really do need to try it myself.

awesome looking cheesecake, I will try hard to get in on this thankful event, as I am very thankful form many things, including all the interesting bloggers around the world I continue to come in contact with, like you Val.

I enjoyed your write up about cheesecakes, Val, who knew there was a Vancouver version?? We're having a little pumpkin party over at UtHC, your lovely cheesecake would feel right at home. Maybe we can swap!!

I don't see that anyone caught what must have been a typo. 4 teaspoons of cloves?? I didn't catch it until after I've made it :( It's very strong. After looking back at other recipes, I assume you meant 1/4 tspn.

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 12 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.